[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17769]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORTING LEBANON AS A FORCE FOR PEACE

  (Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to direct the 
attention of my colleagues to the fragile but critical status of the 
country of Lebanon.
  Mr. Speaker, we are perhaps days away from an international 
tribunal's verdict on who killed former prime minister of Lebanon Rafik 
Hariri. That verdict, many say, could plunge Lebanon into another round 
of violence and retribution.
  Thankfully, this body, through the leadership of people like Howard 
Berman and Nita Lowey, has removed its reservations on U.S. military 
aid to the Lebanese army. This is a crucial step in terms of securing 
the Lebanese border with Israel, and it could be a crucial step should 
the tribunal's decision on who killed Prime Minister Hariri lead to 
greater instability in that country.
  Mr. Speaker, we must support Lebanon as a force for peace and 
prosperity in this critical region. We need Lebanon as an ally to 
America and to all the countries in that region who are pushing for 
peace.
  I have thousands of Lebanese American constituents in Connecticut. 
They constantly remind me of the importance of these points, and I 
believe they are right.

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